2009.05.11 01:00 - Just a sec!

The Guardian for this meeting was Gaya Ethaniel. The comments are by Gaya Ethaniel. Tarmel and Pema were able to join me today :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Hello Tarmel :)
Tarmel Udimo: Hey Gaya:)
Tarmel Udimo: How's it going?
Gaya Ethaniel: Nice to see you. Did you have a good day? I'm well thanks :)
Tarmel Udimo: yeah nice to see you too!
Tarmel Udimo: yes nice day
Tarmel Udimo: in the middle of cooking so may need to step out for a few mins
Gaya Ethaniel: Sure np :)
Tarmel Udimo: BRB
Gaya Ethaniel: Hello Pema :)
Pema Pera: Hi Gaya and Tarmel!
Gaya Ethaniel: Nice to see you, how are you?
Gaya Ethaniel: [Tarmel is afk for a bit]
Pema Pera: I'm fine! My connection is a bit slow, so I hope that no sentences will be dropped for me . . . . we'll see :)
Gaya Ethaniel smiles.
Tarmel Udimo: back
Gaya Ethaniel: Where about are you in RL? Unusual to see you at this hour Pema.
Tarmel Udimo: hi pema
Gaya Ethaniel: wb Tarmel
Pema Pera: (hmmm, that took a long time, to see my own sentences echo, and some never made it . . . )
Gaya Ethaniel: ah... :(
Pema Pera: I'm in Tokyo -- close to your time zone, Tarmel
Pema Pera: two hours behind you I think
Tarmel Udimo: so what time is it now? I am 6:12 on Monday
Pema Pera: and seven hours ahead of you, Gaya
Gaya Ethaniel: It's 9:12 am on Monday :)
Pema Pera: 17:12 here on Monday
Pema Pera: 5 pm
Tarmel Udimo: hehehehe
Tarmel Udimo: the world is turning
Gaya Ethaniel smiles.
Gaya Ethaniel: It's relative isn't it?
Tarmel Udimo: yes SL allows you to realise that
Gaya Ethaniel: uh... a strange comment sorry XD
Pema Pera: yes, but it is slowing down -- it used to turn a whole lot faster :)
Gaya Ethaniel: You think SL allows that realisation?
Tarmel Udimo: really? in RL?
Pema Pera: well, yes, the two main lessons I learned from SL are: 1) the world is round; 2) sleep is a precious thing
Gaya Ethaniel guffaws behind the screen.
Tarmel Udimo: sleeping makes you whole again. always works for me
Gaya Ethaniel: oh Pema can I ask you something now that you are here? Less sunspots, is that really a big problem?
Pema Pera: it would change the climate, make it cooler, would be a good thing :)
Gaya Ethaniel: ah :)
Pema Pera: (and for the Earth rotation: at the beginning of the age of the dinosaurs, the duration of a day was only a little more than 22 hours)
Gaya Ethaniel: ah...
Tarmel Udimo: nods
Tarmel Udimo: so is that an age thing, the earth slowing?
Pema Pera: the moon takes up some of the amount of rotation -- it is called angular momentum
Pema Pera: via the tides some of the rotation of the Earth is given to the Moon
Tarmel Udimo: wow
Pema Pera: so the Moon recedes from the Earth and the Earth slows down
Gaya Ethaniel googles...
Pema Pera: When the Moon was formed, it was very very close to the Earth, and the duration of a day was only a few hours
Tarmel Udimo: I didn't know that
Pema Pera: a kind of "leap second"
Pema Pera: as a result of the day getting longer, we need to occasionally add a second to the day
Tarmel Udimo: and is the moon continuing to flow away
Pema Pera: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_second -- blame it on the moon :)
Tarmel Udimo: who is the we that does that?
Pema Pera: yes, spiralling out slowly more than flying away
Gaya Ethaniel: wow... and these additions automatically feed through to my computer I suppose... amazing...
Pema Pera: the tides in the ocean
Pema Pera: the moon raises tides in the ocean
Pema Pera: and the tides act back on the moon, as a kind of lever, exerting a torque
Pema Pera: and over time, over very long times, the moon brakes the Earth
Pema Pera: and the Earth catapults (sloooowly) the moon away
Gaya Ethaniel: :)
Tarmel Udimo: overwhelming
Tarmel Udimo: so it’s quite remarkable that space ships or probes can actually reach where they are supposed to
Pema Pera: oh, those time adjustments are made all the time
Pema Pera: built in, also in GPS systems for example
Tarmel Udimo: yes reading the link you gave us
Tarmel Udimo: nods

This is the image that flashed in my mind when Pema went...

Pema Pera imagines conversations between the Earth and the Moon: "just a sec!"

Gaya Ethaniel smiles.
Tarmel Udimo: hahahaha
Pema Pera: yet another kind of time tax . . .
Gaya Ethaniel nods...
Tarmel Udimo: nods
Pema Pera: talking about time, I have to run -- dinner meeting coming up; I just found a few minutes in a coffee shop, waiting along the way
Gaya Ethaniel: Enjoy your evening Pema :)
Tarmel Udimo: enjoy, thanks for dropping in
Pema Pera: good seeing you both here!
Pema Pera: hope to stay longer next time
Gaya Ethaniel: Good to have an astronomer about isn't it Tarmel?
Tarmel Udimo: inspiring
Gaya Ethaniel smiles.
Pema Pera: :-)
Tarmel Udimo: yes I am still blown away
Pema Pera: bye for now
Tarmel Udimo: bye
Gaya Ethaniel waves
Gaya Ethaniel: I will make a picture of 'just a sec' to add to this log I think :)
Tarmel Udimo: nice
Tarmel Udimo: what Pema just said has left me breathless!
Gaya Ethaniel smiles and nods.
Gaya Ethaniel: Wonder why these things happen...
Gaya Ethaniel: We take the physics and natural laws etc for granted but I sometimes wonder why they are there... I mean.
Gaya Ethaniel: Did you pet just cry? O.o
Tarmel Udimo: no that was Kaju the water dragon instead of fire she breathes water
Gaya Ethaniel: ah :)
Tarmel Udimo: [1:29] Gaya Ethaniel: We take the physics and natural law etc for granted but I sometimes wonder why they are there... I mean.
Tarmel Udimo: that's why I was blown away and was about to ask Pema but then he left
Gaya Ethaniel: We can ask him next time :)
Tarmel Udimo: yes, but why do you think?
Gaya Ethaniel shrugs... I don't know...
Gaya Ethaniel: I think about it once in a while...
Gaya Ethaniel: What do you think?
Tarmel Udimo: does it mean there's a creator is an obvious response
Gaya Ethaniel: Partly yes... it is one of the questions from there.
Tarmel Udimo: whether it’s called Being or God or whatever
Gaya Ethaniel: mm... I don't see 'Being' as a creator though but that's my understanding.
Tarmel Udimo: can laws exist without 'being created'
Tarmel Udimo: I don't know whether Being creates, but the stuff of being is out of which everything is created
Tarmel Udimo: there is nothing else besides Being
Gaya Ethaniel: So something cannot come out of nothing you mean?
Tarmel Udimo: hmmm
Tarmel Udimo: in a way yes
Tarmel Udimo: being could just be and the essence of Being contains all these natural laws
Tarmel Udimo: so it wasn't created per say but then one is still left with questions either way
Gaya Ethaniel nods...
Tarmel Udimo: I stopped struggling with these questions but then when pema explains something like he did I go whooaa
Tarmel Udimo: what does that mean:)
Gaya Ethaniel smiles.
Gaya Ethaniel: Well something to marvel at at least :)
Tarmel Udimo: yes a marvel it is
Tarmel Udimo: it’s like the nervous system how amazing is that
Tarmel Udimo: or all the biological processes
Gaya Ethaniel: Yes, nice to see outside my everyday box this way.
Tarmel Udimo: you strike me as someone who always looks outside the box Gaya
Gaya Ethaniel: Can't remember who said it but there are two ways to understand the truth - one is to go around as far as one can and see the world; another is to dig deeper where one is inside.
Gaya Ethaniel: heheheh too much day dreaming perhaps thanks though :)
Tarmel Udimo: I'm a dig deeper kind of girl
Gaya Ethaniel: :)
Gaya Ethaniel: I'd better get back to RL. Thanks for coming Tarmel. Enjoy your evening.
Tarmel Udimo: you're welcome Gaya glad I made it
Tarmel Udimo: can now go back to RL inspired
Gaya Ethaniel smiles and waves.